Early History of Electrical Communication

It is surprising how little was done to improve methods of communication from primitive times until about the middle of the nineteenth century. Before this time, with the exceptions of the signal fire, semaphore, and heliograph, it was necessary for a person to travel from place to place and communicate verbally, or for a written message to be carried between two points. Methods of instantaneous communication had to await the development of electrical knowledge, and this development was slow and laborious.

This chapter will be devoted to a study of the events which led to the perfection of electrical methods of communication. These historical events well illustrate the early problems and also provide a foundation upon which the later theoretical considerations can be built.